Toyota will introduce a communication system that can be used by self-driving cars to avoid collision. The new technology is set to launch by 2015.
The Japanese carmaker will be using radio waves to detect the speed of other vehicles near the car. It will also have a self-driving system equipped with cameras, radar, and control software to make sure the car stays on its lane.
Self-driving technology is the latest trend for carmakers. Ford is already testing its own version of driverless car in Belgium which can park and steer wheel on its own. General Motorsis also expected to release its own model by 2020 while Nissan is already preparing its car for a road test in Japan.
Toyota Motor Corp. executive Moritaka Yoshida announced on Thursday that they are adapting the self-driving technology mainly to reduce traffic deaths.
“With the real-time speed information shared via wireless communication, cars can eliminate unnecessary acceleration and deceleration which in turn can reduce traffic congestion and boost fuel efficiency,” he said in a press release.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, about 3,400 people dies each day in road traffic crashes. It may become the fifth leading cause of death worldwide by 2030.
Self-driving cars is expected to generate up to $5.4 billion sales by 2017, Strategy Consultants analyst Roland Berger told Bloomberg.
The new technology being developed by Toyota is expected to be ready by 2015. The company believes that they will be the pioneer of this product since no other company has released it yet in the market.
“Currently, no product is launched in the market with these technologies and almost every global automaker is now researching and developing,” said Takashi Morimoto, a consultant at Frost & Sullivan in Tokyo. “These would be the first steps toward autonomous driving technology.”
The self-driving technology will be integrated in some cars in 2015 but will also extend it to other models progressively.
